Voters at fault for electing inept ‘celebrities’
THOSE who want to be well-governed must look among themselves with a microscope to find the best among themselves to run their affairs.
It is within their competence to entice anyone to avail himself to run the country’s affairs if they recognise the potential of capacity, commitment, ethics, etc. It is not the sole prerogative of those who have organised themselves into political parties to be selling themselves to the population.
Political parties arise from people with similar thinking herded into camps mostly around the charisma of some leader. Such camps are not necessarily bad or good. However, they do not differ from charismatic churches in their propensity to be predators on the vulnerable masses.
It is precisely the expectation that those camps that want to run the country are the only ones expected to canvass the population for votes and be elected that leads to crooks with a mission (of securing themselves income, not taking the country forward).
Any electorate that does not appoint a government so that it can make the country and its people the best, is useless.
Unfortunately, the overriding consideration in elections in South Africa is the feel-good sensation of association with celebrity. Once something is portrayed as “great” or “important” in the media, everyone wants to be associated with it. This is where the media does an injustice to the country.
The overall effect is that the public is unable to distinguish between what is of value to them and the good feeling generated by idolisation of a charismatic individual. It does not matter what you stand for, neither does it matter that your performance proves you to be incapable of doing the job.
Individuals come to be important through the adjectives used to describe them, the number of times your picture appears on TV, other electronic media and in newspapers. Nothing to do with what is in their head or performance of assigned duties. Could this be something to do with African self-doubt?
DR KENOSI MOSALAKAE